π€½
Minnesota Lynx great Maya Moore has officially retired. Four years after leaving the WNBA, Moore announced her decision Monday on “Good Morning America.” Here’s what you need to know:
- Moore, 33, put her basketball career on hold in 2019 to help her now-husband, Jonathan Irons, get out of prison after a wrongful conviction.
- The forward spent her entire eight-year WNBA career with the Bobcats after the team selected her with the No. 1 pick in 2011.
- Moore helped Minnesota win four championships (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017) and won the WNBA Finals MVP award in 2013.
@GMA LIVE: WNBA star @MooreMaya announces her retirement from professional basketball: “I want to stay home, serve our community, and work with our nonprofits. That’s where I’m going.” @RobinRoberts pic.twitter.com/wEx7PZCvWr
β Good Morning America (@GMA) January 16, 2023
what are they talking about
“Well, I think it’s time to end professional basketball,” Moore said on “Good Morning America.” “I left four seasons ago, but I want to officially retire. It’s been a really sweet time for us and our families. The work we’ve done. I want to continue that in the next chapter. Be mine The community and the family’s home. … That’s what I’m going into. Hang up.”
Glen Taylor, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bobcats, released a statement.
“Maya Moore will forever leave a mark on the hearts of Minnesota, the Minnesota Bobcats and Bobcats fans everywhere,” Taylor said. βThe accolades for Maya are countless; her fearless and inspiring leadership and talent set the stage for one of the most exciting and historic championship runs in the league from 2011-2017. While today marks the high point of Mayaβs basketball career, But there is no doubt that she will continue to impact the sport we all love. We wish Maya the best and will always support her.”
Forever a part of Lynx history. ππππ pic.twitter.com/QIvm82hJ3T
β Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) January 16, 2023
background story
Moore heads to the WNBA after a dominant collegiate career at UConn. She was part of the school’s 90-game winning streak and the Huskies went 150-4 in her career.
As a WNBA rookie, Moore started all 34 games in the 2011 season and earned her first of six All-Star selections. She won Rookie of the Year, wrapping up her first professional season. Moore went on to start every game he played in the WNBA (271) and won the league’s MVP in 2014. She became the Lynx career leader in three-pointers made (464), steals (392) and blocks (164) and, internationally, won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 2012 and 2016.
Moore left the WNBA in the prime of her career to help Irons, whom she met through prison ministry. Irons was serving a 50-year sentence for shooting a homeowner near St. Louis when he was 16. Irons, who was 18 at the time of his 1998 conviction, insisted he was not at the scene of the shooting and had been misidentified.
In March 2020, a Missouri judge quashed Irons’ conviction, citing multiple issues with the case. Moore, of Jefferson City, Missouri, was present when Irons was released from the Jefferson City Correctional Center. A few months later, Irons and Moore married and had a son named Jonathan Jr.
(Photo: Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
Check more articles in our categories Sports & NFL ou encore Football.